Silver-Haired Kids are Annoying
by AveraIllisa
Summary: What if Kagura was the adult, and Gintoki the child? In which nineteen year-old Kagura meets a ten year-old, silver-haired kid named Gintoki, who turns her life upside-down - but perhaps wacky lives are the best lives lived. (Mult-chapter fic; KaguraxGin-family ship. Reviews much appreciated!)
1. Chapter 1

The streets of Edo were crowded with a variety of people, idly going on with their everyday routines. Clusters of friends were clumped up about the sidewalks, and storefronts opened right onto the curb, welcoming customers in with cheery banners and bright neon signs. As throngs of passerby, both human and less so, carried on with their usual activities, a young vermillion-haired woman navigated through the crowded streets. Her unusually pale skin suggested she belonged to a race not of this earth, and the bright purple parasol she had slung over a shoulder, shadowing her body from the piercing rays of the sun, only furthered the impression that she was, in fact, not a human at all – but a member of the Yato, a feared race with a fighting prowess that sowed fear into many.

The young woman – a beautiful nineteen-year-old maiden by the name of Kagura – meandered throughout the clusters of chatting people crowding the walkway, her cerulean orbs set straight ahead to prevent herself from accidentally walking into a signpost or jostling less hospitable Amanto. All the while, however, she was acutely aware of the thick wad of cash she was currently holding in a hand – the over-the-top payment given to her by a rich couple whose given task she had successfully fulfilled. She grinned broadly at the cash, proud of herself – these days, her 'Odd Jobs' career hadn't exactly spurred many customers, so a day in which such payment was endowed was definitely reason to celebrate.

"Now I can buy myself a bunch of sukonbu, yes?" Kagura murmured happily to herself, smiling wistfully at the thought of purchasing the ridiculously sour snack she had always favored. She could already imagine herself chewing upon the treat, and her grin doubled in size at the notion. Slipping the thick stack of money into her back pocket, she turned her attention back onto the road, the heels of her boots thumping against the road.

She was so busy envisioning herself feasting on packets upon packets of the stuff she didn't notice the child – whom was walking in the opposite direction – until they collided. The boy barely reached past her waist, so there was really no real danger of getting hurt, but walking right into another person, despite the severe height difference, did cause her to lose her footing slightly. Luckily, she managed to catch herself before her feet slipped from right under her, saving herself the embarrassment of being sprawled out across the ground in the middle of public. The child, however, was not as lucky – after bumping into her and flailing backwards, his feet had then proceeded to be snagged by a crack in the curb, causing him to lose all sense of balance completely and fall, butt smashing into the sidewalk.

"Ow!" the boy gave a yelp, proceeding to massage the bruise the curb had inflicted on his person. Kagura gazed down at the boy, somewhat mortified by her accidental actions, and fumbled to apologize as she helped him to his feet. Despite having been jostled to the ground unbecomingly, the boy didn't seem to be hurt, and Kagura let out an inwardly sigh of relief. He himself didn't seem too cross about the whole scenario, and graciously accepted her stammered out apologies before resuming his leisurely walk. Kagura watched the child as he vanished into the crowds of people clumped up by the shops, his silver hair a somewhat oddity amongst the throng of ordinarily dressed and characterized people. Running slender fingers through her waist-length vermillion-red hair, Kagura shrugged off the embarrassing experience and continued on her way to the sukonbu store to purchase some well deserved sour treats.

At which she realized that the stack of cash, which she had shoved down her pocket simply moments prior, had mysteriously vanished.

oooOOOooo

In a world were once admirable samurais had lost surrendered their sword with choked pride, governed by beings not of this earth that never truly took kindly to those of the human race, even young children were forced to fend for themselves in various endeavors that were sometimes legal and mostly less so. Sakata Gintoki, a child that barely surpassed the age of ten, was of course no exclusion to this rule – and the fact that the foodstuffs he mostly clamored for were those that fell into the category of 'sugar' and 'sweets'. For a child that made a living on thieving from strangers' pockets, his food preference was…expensive, to say the least.

But it seemed that lady luck had decided to shower her magic upon him, for he had managed to swipe quite a decent amount of cash from an unsuspecting passerby he had intentionally bumped into. Owing to his over-extravagant display of fake-falling, the parasol-carrying woman hadn't noticed at all when he had slipped the huge wad of cash from her pocket, nor did she realize when he had seamlessly tucked it into his own. Sure, she would undoubtedly realize sooner or later that she had been deceived, but he was sure that by then he would be far away, lost in the clamor of people clustered throughout the district of Kabukicho.

But he soon realized his error of underestimation when a frustrated shout of pure rage cut into his musings like a knife.

"OIIIIIII, you brat!"

Gintoki whirled around in startled shock, locking eyes with a pair of cerulean irises he had seen once before. They had narrowed upon him, and the woman he had stolen off of gave chase as soon as he begun sprinting in the opposite direction. His heart leapt into his throat as his pace quickened, and he was acutely aware of her captor's boots thrumming across the asphalt ground with a swiftness that significantly closed the distance between them. The current scenario incited adrenalin to pump into his veins, and his hasty footsteps doubled in speed as the vermillion haired woman darted closer and closer to his location.

"Give me back my sukonbu money, you bastaaaaard!" Kagura snarled, whipping up her steel-tipped umbrella to give the silver-haired rascal a well-deserved whack on the head. The umbrella whisked through the air as she swung it down, missing the permed-white head by merely inches. Gintoki could feel the wind swoosh past as the metal ferrule cut effortlessly through the air, and an invisible hand of force shoved him forward as the umbrella smashed into the ground. Kagura had employed so much strength into the blow it had shattered the concrete underfoot, and shards of broken road scattered in all directions as Gintoki sailed through the air and hit the ground with a thud.

"Give my money back! It is not yours to take, yes?" Kagura demanded, fuming. She had just wandered into the snack store she commonly frequented moments before, exhilarated at the thought of consuming sukonbu – but her daydreams shattered like popped bubbles when she realized the sudden vacancy of her once money-occupied pocket. It had taken precisely 2 seconds to deduce what had happened to her hard-earned cash, especially when the whole fiasco with the kid with the white hair was still fresh in her mind. Steam practically poured out of her ears as she approached the felled child, who scrambled to his feet as she neared. His carnelian red eyes widened at the crater she had blasted into the earth.

"You could've split my head open!" Gintoki spluttered out, aghast.

"That is the point, yes?" Kagura retorted, raising her umbrella for another go at the irritating child. Her cerulean eyes blazed with anger so palpable, Gintoki could feel it emanating off her in waves.

"W-wait! WAAAAAIT! I-I'm just a kid; can't you have mercy on a kid?" Gintoki stammered out, gesturing to himself in overdramatic hand-gestures. His usually impassive red eyes had gotten as large as dinner plates. Kagura narrowed her blue orbs at him, speculating, before swinging down the umbrella with significantly less force. The downward smash pummeled through the ground just inches from his feet, shattering the asphalt in splintering cracks. Gintoki winced, then proceeded to scramble backwards slightly from the dangerous woman with the odd weapon preference. (Honestly, umbrellas? He could think of way cooler things)

"Give me back my sukonbu money," Kagura hissed, completely pissed that the child had thieved off cash of such importance. (Her sukonbu snack times were very precious, mind you) Seeing no other choice, the white-haired child fumbled through the pockets of his yukata, fetching out several crumpled bills. Kagura snatched the money from his hand, her eyes still carrying plenty of the venom her anger had evoked. Still slightly distrustful of the perm-haired child, she began counting the amount of money he had pressed into her open palm.

"Hold on a second, this is not all of it, yes?" Kagura turned to the child. "Where is the rest of i-"

Her eyes locked onto the vacant spot where Gintoki had been sitting just moments prior. Lifting her gaze slightly, she met sight of the silver-haired boy scurrying down the alley with heightened vigor, scrambling to put as much distance between himself and the scary umbrella-wielding lady.

Which wasn't very far, as Kagura easily managed to catch up with him the second time and crack her umbrella across his head.

ooOOOoo

Kagura warily watched Gintoki stumble out of the snack store, a defeated look prominent in his Bordeaux-colored eyes. The vermillion-haired lady grinned smugly at the sight of the crushed expression, and the welt that jutted out in a pronounced fashion from his unruly silver hair. He shuffled towards her and reproachfully pressed a huge amount of sukonbu packets into the woman's open palm, cross that the cost of his little act of thievery was being forced to buy ridiculous sour treats for a gorilla of a woman with _his own _cash. He could literally see the chances of buying delicious sweets and candies go down the drain.

"I still think you should buy more, yes?" Kagura murmured, inspecting the packets of sour treats to insure they hadn't been tweaked in any way. She tapped a finger on the handle of her parasol, implying that, if refused, she wouldn't hesitate to resort to harmful methods – and considering the emptying wallet and the ridiculously painful bruise on his head, Gintoki was _plenty _harmed enough.

"Whaaaat?" Gintoki's jaw hung open in disbelief. "You're gonna bleed me dry! Have pity on this poor kid, will ya?"

Her cerulean eyes narrowed, and she tapped the metal tip of her umbrella upon the ground in a threatening gesture.

Gintoki grumbled and retreated to the store, returning moments later with more packets and an even more disdainful look on his face. Fortunately for him, Kagura's anger and distrust seemed to be subsiding, and as she counted the ridiculous amount of sukonbu in her hands, her expression had converted from sullen to almost joyous.

"Okay; the queen of Kabukicho has decided," Kagura loftily informed him, slinging her purple parasol over a shoulder. Gintoki wanted to scoff at the self-proclaimed name, but considering that she was still very much able to crack open his head as easily as she had done the pavement, he decided to keep all manner of such actions to himself.

"You may leave now," Kagura jabbed the ferrule in the opposite direction, gesturing that he should continue on his merry path before more harm could be inflicted on his wallet, figuratively speaking, or his body, literally speaking. Gintoki's shoulders slumped in defeat, probably still upset about his spent wallet, and shuffled off, running his fingers through his messy clump of hair. Kagura watched him go impassively, and as soon as he was out of eyeshot she allowed her imposing composure to slip and gazed affectionately down at the packets upon packets of sukonbu nestled in her pale hands – and the best part was, all of them were _free. _

Yup, today was a good day.


	2. Chapter 2

Kagura gazed up at the large tree, in which sat huddled the very thing she was requested to retrieve. Beneath the thick cover of emerald leaves, a pair of golden eyes, streaked with a deep amber vertical iris, stared loftily down at the vermillion-haired yorozuya from its high vantage point, as if taunting her that any efforts of persuading it to come down were futile. Kagura's grasp on her parasol tightened, and her cerulean eyes glistened with determination. Whether it liked it or not, she was going to get it down – her client had insisted upon it, and the thought of high payment for fulfilling such a task pushed any thought of forfeit from the young woman's mind.

"Come down, kitty, yes?" Kagura murmured to the cat, nestled comfortably within the branches bearing thick clusters of leaves and the occasional borne fruit. Its feline eyes narrowed upon the woman, and it stretched its tiny maw in a yawn of complete indifference before stretching the kinks from its spine. The diminutive ball of fur kneaded its claws into the bark, completely ignoring Kagura, before shifting its position into a more comfortable posture and settling itself to sleep.

A vein of frustration popped through Kagura's fringe of vermillion hair.

"I am getting you down!" she declared, and promptly began scaling the thick trunk to reach the cat's ridiculously high position. Balancing her umbrella on the crook of her neck, she reached for the branches adhered to the trunk and began heaving herself up the enormous tree. Her booted feet scrambled for a foothold as she hauled herself up, her pale face beaded with perspiration from the endeavor.

"Aha!" Kagura triumphantly announced as soon as she dragged her lithe body onto the same thick branch the cat had bundled itself onto. She wrapped her arms around the perimeter of the bough, inching herself painfully slowly towards the feline in a snail's crawl. The wooden limb creaked and groaned from the access weight as Kagura reached a cautious hand towards the cat gazing at her with golden eyes brimming with apathy.

But as Kagura's fingers began closing over its small body, the deceitful feline leapt away and pounced off the branch, landing gracefully on the ground below. It dragged its rough tongue over its paw and gazed up at the woman still clinging to the bough of the tree with her mouth agape.

"You bastaaaaard!" Kagura hissed at the cat, grinding her teeth in a prominent gesture of frustration. Her cerulean eyes were ablaze with venom, but then grew comically large when a noise, easily identified as the snapping of wood, drilled into her ears. Frantically, she clung onto the splintering branch as cracks formed upon the rough surface, and the branch, burdened with the added weight of a full-grown woman, listed to port before finally snapping off the trunk. Kagura let out a yelp as she hit the floor, sending leaves and mini-branches scattering in a variety of different directions. Grumbling, Kagura stumbled to her feet and plucked the few telltale bits of greenery that had gotten entangled in her fiery red hair.

The cat watched her struggle with her disheveled tresses before bounding off, probably to search for another tree which offered appropriate shelter. Cursing under her breath, the Yato retrieved her felled parasol and gave chase, her boots digging deeply into the earthen soil underfoot.

"Hey, come back!" Kagura demanded, sheltering her pale body from the unforgiving rays of the midday sun. Perspiration ran down her face in rolling beads, causing damp strands of red hair to become adhered to her sweat-slicked forehead. Owing to her race's inability to tolerate lengthened periods under the sun, Kagura had developed a common Yato-dislike of ridiculously hot summer days – which, unfortunately, was exactly the category this very day fell into. She normally wouldn't even consider venturing out into the open on stifling days like this, let alone chase an agile and graceful cat halfway across town.

As her boots pounded upon the concrete pavement, cerulean eyes fixated on the swiftly running form of the irritating feline, Kagura failed to notice another person, half her size and eerily familiar, sprint out of an alleyway between two buildings in a harried jog and stumble right in front of her path. Due to the abruptness of his sudden appearance, Kagura failed to halt her streaking pace in time and crashed headlong into the aforementioned person in a collision that too felt eerily like it had occurred before.

As Kagura stumbled backwards, her blue eyes locked on to a pair of carnelian ones she had seen once before – and by 'once before', she really meant 'just yesterday'.

"You!" Kagura gasped out, recognizing the locks of unruly silver hair overhanging the all-too-familiar childish features. She felt a pang of irritation as soon as she rested her baby blues upon him, remembering all too well the small act of thievery he had committed yesterday upon her back pocket.

"Ack! The gorilla woman!" the child took a wary step back, unwilling to be forced yet again to trade his hard-earned cash for ridiculously sour sukonbu – a treat which he himself never truly favored. The impassive Bordeaux eyes had widened at the sight of the familiar woman, and even more so at the parasol that he had seen with his own eyes blast a crater into the concrete curb.

"Get out of my way, yes?" Kagura shoved the child aside and stood up, gazing helplessly at the crowds of shifting people blocking her view of the feline she was assigned to chase. It had darted between the legs of many unsuspecting passerby, concealing itself within the ever-churning throng of people walking leisurely about the district of Kabukicho.

"You braaaat!" Kagura snarled, snatching fistfuls of the dazed child's yukata and hauling him off the floor. His feet dangled a foot off the ground, and his overall body language tensed as soon as he was dragged into the air. "Look what you did! The stupid cat is gone now, yes? What do you expect me to do now?"

"Uhhh…" Gintoki's eyes darted around frantically, his shoulders hunched up in an uptight position. "I'm sorry about the cat and all but, could you please put me down? I'm kinda in a bit of a spot right no-"

"There's the brat!"

A foreign voice echoed across the alleyway, causing both Kagura and Gintoki to turn their heads in unison at the direction of the shrieked-out words. A cluster of heavyset men stood, fuming, by the entrance of the alley, equipped with all manner of tools that looked to be associated with construction. A lumbering brute of a fellow jabbed a pointed finger at Gintoki's direction, his lips peeled back into an angered grimace.

"He's over there with the gal!" the man roared, and his loutish companions turned their furious gazes towards the silver-haired child who gaped at them as if they were death himself. Kagura's eyebrows rose to her hairline as the group of muscled men charged towards them with the speed and disposition of stampeding bulls, faced flushed scarlet from their rage.

"Run! RUUUUN!" Gintoki twisted out of Kagura's grasp and shepherded the dazed woman towards the opposite direction, despite the fact that she really had no business in the current matter. Kagura's feet moved on their own volition, following the sprinting child away from the group of enraged men as they screamed obscenities at the fleeing pair.

"What is happening?" Kagura inquired as she ran, breath coming out in ragged gasps from the exertion. She turned to the child scampering alongside her, expecting an answer for the blatant hostility the workmen were displaying towards him.

The red eyes became a tad sheepish at her question, and his stubby fingers weaved into his endlessly interlocking hair that stuck out in unruly angles from the youthful face. "Well, I kinda thought that perhaps they had some cash on them, but then they caught me and – hey!"

Kagura had once again caught hold of Gintoki's outfit and yanked him up so his chubby face was level with her own. Her cerulean eyes had narrowed into contemplating slits. "So, you stole from them, and they caught you, yes?" Kagura murmured. "I think you should be rightfully punished for that, uh huh."

"What?" Gintoki's dumbfounded look turned appalled in an instant. "Waitaminute! You're not planning to-"

"Goodbye and good luck!" Kagura slung the child over a shoulder before tossing him like a sack of potatoes towards the charging gang of enraged men. Gintoki let out a yelp as he spun, head over heels, across the air, and his petite body slammed into the heavyset chest of the nearest brute. He grunted as he slid back to the floor in a crumpled heap, massaging the bruise the collision had inflicted upon his cheek. Smashing into the man's chest was akin to smashing into solid concrete.

Gazing upwards, however, made the pain of the sore evaporated altogether, for he suddenly had come face-to-face with the largest of the brutes whose anger he'd evoked. The man's lips and kinked into a grin, and he was cracking his knuckles in a common gesticulation that physical harm was soon to be endowed upon the poor, young thief.

"Wait a minute, lady!" Gintoki turned towards Kagura, whom had turned her back on the situation and was currently leisurely continuing on her merry path. The silver haired child's desperate cry for help was not missed by her, but she simply hunched her shoulders and pretended she didn't hear. "Aren't you gonna help me? Pleeeeaase! My insides are gonna get reorganized!"

Kagura was listening to his endless pleads more than she wanted to, for even though the child had stolen off her before, it still seemed like overkill to deliver him into the hands of such monstrous thugs. No doubt they had a grisly future already planned out for the little devil that had taken off with their cash, and Kagura found herself wincing, in spite of herself, at the physical damage that could be bequeathed upon a child of such fragility.

"Gorilla lady, pleeeaaase!" Gintoki's cry reverberated throughout the tiny alleyway, but Kagura still had her back turned to the child, juggling to options of whether helping or simply running the heck outta there was a better decision on her part. Gintoki trained his eyes on her pleadingly, hoping that she would offer at least some degree of aid on his pitiful young self. "I'm just a kid and I'm gonna get torn apa-ack!"

And, for the third time on the same day, Gintoki felt his diminutive body being lifted off the floor by a grubby, muscled hand. He thrashed and struggled against the iron grip of his soon-to-be executioners, and when he realized that any attempt at escaping was fated to end in a fruitless endeavor, he clasped his hands together and prayed to the gods that somehow, he could live to see another day.

"So, what do you think we should do to the lil' punk?" the brute growled to his companions, lips peeled back in a smirk of pure malice. "Shall we tear him limb from limb? Or-uuuurgh!"

Gintoki wasn't exactly sure what had just commenced – considering, up to that point, his eyes were screwed shut in a prayer – but he felt a slight puff of displaced air on his cheek, followed by a resounding crack that drilled into his ears like knives. Upon peeling open his eyes, he met sight with the outlandish thug, whom had been talking tough just moments prior, writhing upon the ground with his palms pressed to his cheek. The skin around the area bloomed crimson, and it swelled with such a ferocity it looked as if an apple were sprouting from his flesh.

"Get away from the brat, yes?" a familiar tone, further outfitted with a distinguishable Chinese slang, called Gintoki's attention from the felled man. The gorilla woman, whom he was so sure had left him at the mercy of several towering brutes, loomed over the man still thrashing about the floor, groaning about his injured cheek. The three other men took a step back, slightly unnerved by her intimidating figure as she jabbed the steel-tipped parasol in their direction. "He stole my money too, so I get to kill him, yes?"

"What do you want, girl?" one of the men hissed, and mistakenly took a step forward in an attempt at terrorization. The step itself was a ridiculous slip-up on his part, for as soon as he ventured nearer towards them, Kagura leapt up and smashed her umbrella across his head. The impact of the blow was so harsh Gintoki could hear the resounding crack echo throughout the area, and the man tumbled to the ground, very much unconscious.

"Who else wants some?" Kagura haughtily announced, slinging the purple parasol across her shoulder. With fear etched prominently into their faces, the remaining men scooted down to retrieve their fallen companions and streaked off, not even sparing a glance back at the monster clothed in a woman's skin.

Kagura smirked triumphantly before turning to rest her cerulean eyes on the cowering child behind her. Despite the fact she had just saved his life, he still recoiled slightly when her eyes found him, still very much aware of the fact that she still possessed a pang of irritation towards his actions of yesterday.

"Um…" Gintoki stammered out awkwardly, still a bit unclear as to why the woman had saved him – especially since she had practically tossed him at the thugs as if inviting the notion he get beaten to a pulp. He wondered whether it was because she planned on doing the beating herself – a thought Gintoki wasn't particularly fond of, at the given moment. "…thanks?"

"No problem," Kagura placed a hand on her hip, basking in the moment of glory. It seemed she very much enjoyed having power over the child in front of her, and she tapped the metal ferrule of her parasol on the ground, regarding him solemnly. "So, now that I have saved your life, you owe me one, yes?"

"Um, I guess?" Gintoki pondered where the conversation was headed.

Kagura's grin broadened. "In that case, buy me more packets of sukonbu – I finished all of them last night."

Gintoki just ran away.


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you sure you don't want to try sukonbu?" Kagura mumbled through a mouthful of the dark treats, munching contentedly through the huge stack of sukonbu packets Gintoki had painstakingly been forced to purchase. The curdled, sour stench of the snack wafted about them as Kagura fished out another handful of sukonbu from a packet and tossed it down her endless gullet. Gintoki watched her with a pinched expression, though considering that she still brandished her parasol in a hand, he decided against contradicting her.

"Um, no thanks," Gintoki turned away from the gluttonous woman eating through her endless sukonbu packets at a speed that the child hadn't even thought was humanly possible. Kagura simply shrugged a shoulder and resumed her chewing, feasting upon the delectable (at least to her, they were delectable) snacks she had driven Gintoki to buy. Despite the severe dent in his wallet – much to his chagrin – at least Kagura had informed him whatever debt he had owed her was diminished, which was nice, at least.

Though it would've only made sense for them to part ways after that, the thought that the monstrous brutes he had thieved off of would return for him kept Gintoki at Kagura's side, even though the sour reek of sukonbu that unfurled out into the air every time she popped open a new packet – which was frequent – was more than enough reason for him to stay away.

And so the strange pair cruised merrily about the Kabukicho district, with Kagura feasting contentedly on her snacks and Gintoki inching slowly away whenever she broke open a new packet of the vile stuff. As she chewed upon a handful of sukonbu, Kagura's cerulean blue eyes turn to rest on her youthful companion. His unruly silver hair and constantly half-lidded red eyes really were an oddity amongst the average people, which begged the question; who was he, and what was he doing in such a dangerous district, forced to fend for himself at such a young age?

"Hey kid," Kagura nudged the child slightly with an elbow, and his carnelian eyes slid over to meet hers curiously. "I never really did catch your name, yes? What is it?"

"Sakata Gintoki."

"I'm Kagura," Kagura threw another bundle of sukonbu down her mouth and chomped down, tasting the explosion of sourness as soon as it hit her tongue. Her next words were nearly incoherent, spoken between chews: "How old are you?"

"Around ten, I guess," he shrugged a shoulder as if were no big deal, but hearing of his age made Kagura question why a child of such tender age was forced to steal from strangers and rummage for whatever he could. She didn't exactly have the best upbringing either, but at least she still had parents care for her at a young age.

"Do you have a home somewhere?" Kagura murmured, gazing forlornly at the small amount of packets she had left. She never really could restrain herself from eating through packets of the stuff at such a fast pace, so it was normal for her to finish off even huge stacks of the stuff at record time.

Gintoki's small shoulders hunched up, signifying that Kagura's question hit a tender spot for him, but he was careful to hide all traces of pain from his face. He stuck a finger in his ear and feigned indifference. "No, not really."

Kagura raised her eyebrows but refrained from delving deeper into the subject. As the last of the sour treats vanished down her throat, she dusted off her hands and chucked the ridiculous amount of crumpled-up empty packets in a nearby dustbin. She watched wistfully as she empty packets disappeared down the scruffy bin, wondering whether it was possible to wrangle out more from the silver-haired child.

However, as she turned her head back to look at where he had just been standing, she realized she was looking at an empty spot. Glancing around, Kagura wondered where the white-haired rascal had scurried off to, and wondered whether she should even consider looking for him. She had told him she no longer owed her, so perhaps he had decided to part ways, which stung a bit more than she expected it to. She was hoping for at least a sign or maybe even a goodbye to signify he was leaving, not vanishing off into the crowd as soon as her back was turned.

But before she decided to turn her back on the whole fiasco with him and return home, her eyes caught sight of him once again, dithering by the window of a certain shop. Curious as to what had snagged his attention, Kagura approached him and realized what he was ogling at – the various colorful candies that had been put on display next to a towering chocolate fountain. The child had pressed his palms flat upon the large glass pane, and his dead fish eyes glistened with renewed life as he gazed fondly at the delectable treats. It seemed that despite the rocky childhood, he still held fast to the many things that normal children found excitable – like candies and sweets, for example.

As Kagura watched, his gaze dropped to the ridiculous price tags attached to each treat and did a double-take. Frowning, the child tore his gaze away and mumbled something incoherent under his breath, shoving his hands into his pockets. Kagura watched the whole thing unfold in subtle amusement.

"Something wrong?" Kagura asked innocently as he approached her, still frowning.

"My sugar intake is low," Gintoki just stated simply, casting a wistful glance at the bubbling chocolate fountain.

"Then why not buy some sweets, yes?" Kagura murmured teasingly.

"Can't," Gintoki mumbled, barely audibly. "I used up all my money on your crummy sukonbu."

And with that, all traces of amusement were quick to vanish from Kagura's face, and in its place arose a deep feeling of guilt that plagued her more than she expected it to. Somehow, the fact that she had forced him – with the threat of being skewered by the tip of her umbrella – to buy her ridiculous amounts of the stuff had completely slipped her mind, but as she recalled just how much she had drove him to purchase, it became obvious to her that she had undoubtedly exhausted all his cash. Shame wasn't enough of a word to describe the burning intensity of guilt unfurling within her chest.

"Oh," Kagura just stated simply, rather shamefacedly if one may add. She cast a glance back at the store, shimmering with various assortments of gooey, rich chocolate and an endless array of candies, and decided upon her next course of action. Gently, she laid a tentative palm on Gintoki's shoulder and told him to stay put and wait while she did something.

Gintoki reluctantly obliged, and Kagura vanished into the crowd of meandering people to accomplish a certain task.

Soon enough, the vermillion haired woman reappeared amongst the throngs, and without making eye-contact with the young white-haired child, she pressed a colorful packet of chocolate-coated strawberries into his small hands. His expression flickered from puzzled to joyous instantaneously.

"Thanks!" Gintoki happily said, breaking open the packet and digging his petite hands into it. However, as he drew out one of the chocolate-coated treats, his beaming expression shifted into something decidedly less so. He turned skeptical eyes towards the vermillion haired woman, distrustful. "You didn't do something like put a laxative or something in it, did you?"

Kagura bristled at the mistrust. "Of course not! You bought me sukonbu, so I just decided to buy you something too, uh huh."

Gintoki remained unconvinced, but sooner or later temptation ruled out and he was soon stuffing his face with the sweet snack. As the pair wandered through Kabukicho aimlessly, Kagura decided to ask the question which had been burning on her mind for sometime already.

"Gin-chan?"

"Hmmm?" Gintoki mumbled amidst a mouthful of chocolate strawberries. Unlike Kagura, who simply scoffed down her sukonbu like she was breathing air, Gintoki had done nothing but savor each fruit every time he popped one in his mouth. He seemed to be having the time of his life with the packet of treats.

"Do you have parents?"

Gintoki stiffened at the question, and Kagura knew she had struck a somewhat sensitive issue. The child took a few moments to compose himself before responding with a subtle shake of the head. His expression had reverted back to his usual impassiveness, but Kagura felt like she could detect something akin to sorrow amidst the otherwise expressionless eyes. Again, she felt like a terrible person for asking something like this, but at least her curiosity was fed.

"Then…where do you go every night?"

Gintoki shrugged a shoulder, mouth still stuffed full of the treats she had purchased for him. "Mmmnn, anywhere really. S'not too bad, though; I get by." He glanced down at the half-empty packet of strawberries in his hand with an expression of downright awe. "Wow, these are good. Say, it wouldn't be too much to ask if you could buy me another-"

WHACK!

"O-kay, okay, that's fine…" Gintoki murmured, massaging the growing bruise Kagura had bashed across his head with her parasol in response to his question. The sky was darkening with the approaching sunset, and Kagura knew it would probably be best if she were to continue home. She still hadn't located the cat she was requested to, but she supposed the job could be put off till tomorrow. How much trouble could the cat possibly be in? It didn't really seem to be in too big of a rush to go home, anyway.

"It is getting dark, yes?" Kagura informed her little companion, and Gintoki turned his attention towards the sky, streaked with the extravagant colors of an approaching dusk. Gintoki could only nod at her statement, dumping the last remaining contents of the packet into his mouth before flinging the empty container into an overfilled trash bin.

"I should get going," Gintoki declared, wiping the back of his hand across his chocolate-stained mouth. A mischievous grin quirked up the boy's face as he raised a hand in a gesture of farewell. "Growing boys need to sleep to replenish their energy to pick pockets."

As he turned to leave, he felt Kagura's hand on his shoulder, firm and unyielding and downright prohibiting him to go. Her smile was that of determination as she steered the boy in the opposite direction, which he did, somewhat confused and unwillingly. "No way, Gin-chan! I have decided that you will not pick any more pockets in your lifetime, uh huh. Just leave it to your great mother, Kagura-chan!"

"Whuh?" Gintoki had no idea where she planned on going with this, but considering the indomitable glint in her eyes, he had a very bad feeling that nothing he said would deter Kagura from whatever plan she had in store for him.

"I shall take you back to my place for tonight, and then try to find a good orphanage or something that will take you in, yes? Or maybe you can join the Yorozuya! Then you will never have to pick stranger's pockets ever again, uh huh. It is a great plan, yes?" Kagura beamed at him and ushered a dumbfounded Gintoki in the direction of her dwelling.


	4. Chapter 4

"Gin-chaan! Grab it, yes? It is over there!"

"Where? All I see are leaves!"

"Look to your right, yes? Oh – it is jumping off! Catch it, Gin-chan, catch iiiit!"

The two Yorozuya – a pale skinned Yato with vermillion red hair, and an odd looking child with silver-white locks – floundered about the huge oak tree, attempting at locating the irritating feline that was getting under their skins and slipping under their very noses undetected. Kagura stood under the shade of the humongous boughs, heavily laden with leaves of a bright emerald hue, her signature purple parasol slung over a shoulder. Her expression was irate, and her cerulean blue eyes scanned the overhead canopy to see where on earth the stupid cat had pounced off to.

Gintoki, however, had been sent to search amongst the topmost branches. Due to his much smaller stature, Kagura had thought it would be more suitable if he were to be the one to scurry up the tree – but if you asked him, he would probably say that the Yato woman simply wanted an excuse not to be the one to clamber up the enormous oak, especially after the last escapade had ended in catastrophe.

Admittedly though, Gintoki managed to scale the tree much faster than Kagura ever could, and he wandered amongst the creaking boughs, shoving aside thin branches obscuring his vision to see if the cat Kagura was requested to catch had hidden amongst the emerald leaves. Kagura had claimed she saw it earlier, but Gintoki had missed it, and now it had decided to toy with them further by leaping off its prior location and ending up god-knows where. The child grumbled as he searched, wondering how on earth he had gotten from just another scruffy kid picking peoples' pockets for a living to the apprentice of a usually dead-broke woman running an odd jobs career with non-existent customers.

"I will skin that cat alive, yes?" he heard Kagura hiss below as she wandered under the cool shade of the thick tree. Incoherent mumbles, most probably curses directed to the cat, could be heard being whispered under her breath, followed soon after by a sharp curse. "I accidentally walked into the sunlight, yes?! Ack! It burns!"

Gintoki pushed an overhanging branch from his vision and peered down at his 'chaperone', who was hurriedly opening her parasol before the piercing rays of the midday sun peeled her pale skin from her bones. Rolling his eyes, the child retreated back to the leafy world and resumed his search for the annoying cat that always managed to dart away.

This was a completely different sort of Wednesday afternoon than the silver-haired kid was used to, and while he mostly resented the derivation from his usual routine of picking pockets to aiding a gorilla of a woman search for a cat without any wages given at the end of the day, part of him did think it was quite an interesting turn of events from what he was used to. Still, he didn't really think that he'd be staying too long with the odd Amanto woman – sure, perhaps he'd hang around for a day or two, but that was the maximum – he needed to replenish his poor, exhausted wallet with more cash from the pockets of wandering strangers.

"GIN-CHAAAAN!" a piercing shout jolted Gintoki from his musings. In fact, it had startled him so much he had lost his grip and foothold on the thick trunk of the tree he was currently climbing. He tumbled back to the earth, scattering leaves and twigs everywhere, as his much older companion jabbed a finger in the direction of the fleeing cat. "Over there, yes? Let us grab him!"

Before Gintoki could even catch his breath from the exhilarating fall, Kagura curled her fingers around his wrist in a steely grip and wrenched him from the ground. He was half-dragged across town as Kagura attempted at chasing down the cat, commanding it to slow the heck down or she'd skin it alive. As Gintoki skidded across the road, arm close to being yanked clean out of its socket by the over-eager Yato, he briefly recalled how on earth he had managed to get into the current scenario….

oooOOOooo

_(Last Night) _

Despite Gintoki's complaints and refusal at following her home, Kagura wouldn't be deterred from her plans of 'helping' the young boy go down the path of righteousness and refrain from snatching cash from the first person he saw. He was then shepherded towards a bar, which the child thought was a very odd place for one to stay, and watched Kagura enter and greet an old lady whom was currently smoking behind the counter.

"Hey, Granny," Kagura waved, catching the old woman's attention. Smoke billowed out from the smoldering end of her cigarette as she held it to her mouth, and as the old woman turned to return a similar greeting, her eyes fell upon the young child whom the vermillion-haired lady had an arm around. An eyebrow was cocked in curiousity.

"And who might that be?" the old woman inquired, taking another drag from her cigarette. She was quite surprised at seeing Kagura return home with a child of such tender age, and judging from the pinched expression he currently wore, she had a feeling that he wasn't there on his own will. The old woman turned to the vermillion-haired youth for an answer, and Kagura beamed as she introduced the child.

"Granny, this is Gin-chan; Gin-chan, this is granny! I met him yesterday when he tried to steal my sukonbu money, uh huh," Kagura replied, patting the child on the shoulder. The reassuring gesture did nothing to soothe the apprehension Gintoki blatantly showed, despite his attempts at hiding all manner of discomfort from his young face, and Kagura's vague introductory didn't exactly satisfy the questions the old woman obviously still had. She leaned over the counter to have a better look at the child Kagura had ushered into her bar.

"Well, then-" the old woman exited the counter and approached the uncomfortable child, who averted his eyes when she drew near. "-I'm Otose. It is nice to meet you."

"Uh-huh," Gintoki briefly nodded, wondering whether it was still possible to make a dash for the door to end this awkward moment. He _really _didn't want to be here, but he doubted it was possible to outrun the vermillion haired woman whom still had a hand clamped on his shoulder. He pondered whether this was some version of punishment from the Yato woman for stealing her money the day before.

"What do you plan on doing with the child, Kagura?" Otose pressed the butt of her cigarette to a nearby ashtray, scattering grayish ash across its porcelain surface. Gintoki cast a sideways glance at the vermillion-haired woman, wondering whether he could discern anything from her facial expression as to why she had brought him here, and she smiled unwaveringly.

"I shall teach Gin-chan that there is more to life than picking pockets, yes? And then maybe I can find him somewhere permanent to stay!" Kagura seemed plenty happy with her decision, completely oblivious to the skeptical looks both Gintoki and Otose were throwing her way. She gave the silver-haired child a reassuring squeeze of the shoulder, and though her intentions were good-natured, Gintoki really didn't have a very good feeling about the plans she had laid out for him. He supposed he didn't mind having a roof over his head once again and a place to stay, he had grown accustomed to his scruffy way of living. How could he cope with a life started anew?

Otose lit up another cigarette, considering what she had just heard from the younger female. "He looks a bit…uncomfortable, Kagura. Are you sure?"

"Yup!" Kagura's smile was wholly infectious, though it did little to soothe Gintoki's overall disposition. "Perhaps he can even join the yorozuya, yes?"

"Well, if you say so," Otose simply replied and returned to her place behind the counter. She seemed to be leaving it at that, and Gintoki's shoulders slumped as the old woman retreated back to her workstation. He was hoping that she could talk Kagura out of her ridiculous plan, considering he had no intention of joining her in her 'Odd Jobs' career. Though he didn't really have a choice in the matter, for as soon as Otose returned to the counter, he was once again ushered out the bar and up some stairs to a second floor. Kagura waved a goodbye and goodnight to her landlady and guided the child up the creaking steps.

"Oh, and Kagura!" the two heard Otose holler up to them as they ascended the steps. "Don't forget to pay me this month's rent!"

oooOOOooo

Gintoki was jolted out of his recollections when his shoulder jammed painfully against the curb, suddenly aware that Kagura was pretty much literally just _dragging _him across the floor now. She was relentless in her chase, and once again the flailing child felt his body slam against the concrete ground as the Yato woman hauled him across town in a unrelenting pursuit.

"Kaguraaaaa!" Gintoki yelled, thrashing his limbs about in hopes that Kagura would stop and see the pain she was inflicting to his person, but to no avail. The woman kept her eyes trained upon the cat, which was barreling across the ground at all-fours at breakneck speed. She didn't even seem to pay any mind to the bruised and battered body she was currently dragging around, much too focused at chasing down the troubling feline to finally end this ridiculous game of cat-and-mouse.

"I've got an idea, Gin-chan!" Kagura murmured to Gintoki, and before he could even process what she had said, the ridiculously strong woman once again hurled the child forward, watching his body sail through the air. He let out a yell as he was tossed unbecomingly upwards, tumbling head-over-heels and finally coming to a rather painful descent upon the sidewalk, right on top of the cat. It tried to squirm away and nearly succeeded, but before it could once again leap off into the crowd, Gintoki grabbed hold of its lengthy tail, ceasing its streaking pace before it had even begun. The cat let out a feral growl and pounced upon the child, raking its extended claws upon his face. Gintoki yelled as recoiled from the feline's manic outburst, holding the thrashing cat a good distance away from his face.

"Arrgh, this thing's gonna claw an eye out!" Gintoki winced as a paw swatted him in the face, and thrust the snarling creature in Kagura's direction. The vermillion haired woman fumbled to hold the bristling ball of fur, and beamed at Gintoki despite the bruises and scratches marring his skin and the reproachful look he sent her way.

"That was great, yes? We have finally caught it!" Kagura was exuberant, excited that she had completed another request and could finally once again receive payment. "Now we can get paid, yes? Think of all the sukonbu I can buy now! This is great, ye-"

Before the woman could complete her sentence, the boy grabbed her pale wrist and yanked her towards the direction of home before she could acknowledge any more thoughts of sukonbu.

oooOOOooo

"That went well, yes, Gin-chan?" Kagura turned to her young companion, who was currently seated across from her by the table. After their little excursion, they had brought the still snarling feline back to its proper place home, and true to her word, the client had paid them handsomely for the task. The pair didn't know what made them happier – that they had fulfilled a request and had gotten paid once again, or that the responsibility over the annoying cat had finally been relinquished from their shoulders.

Kagura had immediately pulled Gintoki towards the direction of the snack shop, happily jabbering away about how much sukonbu she could purchase once again, but Gintoki had finally had enough to her ridiculous addiction to the stuff and had promptly dug his heels in about the whole thing. They had a bit of a scuffle – which, thankfully, hadn't resulted in Gintoki getting beat up – until Kagura begrudgingly decided to change their destination to a nearby ramen restaurant where the vermillion haired Yato sometimes frequented for her daily meals, though she'd normally have eggs on rice.

Despite the payment, however, the two only had about enough for one bowl of ramen – yes, they were that poor – and when it finally arrived, steaming, to their table, the two over-eager and very much starving Yorozuya leapt from their seats to attack the dish with chopsticks raised. A utensil-battle had commenced after that, with Kagura fighting to get to the beef and eggs while Gintoki fought her off. Nearby customers of the diner turned to gaze upon the odd spectacle with odd expressions, watching the vermillion-haired young woman battle against a significantly younger silver-haired boy in an epic display of who-gets-what.

When the meal had finally been picked clean – courtesy of their growling bellies – the two Yorozuya members made their way back home with contented stomachs. As the two were heading home, however, they noticed a young woman barely older than Kagura dither about the crowded streets of Edo. Dark locks of hair framed her rather attractive face, and her soft auburn eyes held a glint of anxious worry that the two noticed immediately. The brown eyes darted to and fro across the throng of passing people, as if searching for a familiar face amongst the ever-shifting crowds.

"Ah, Gin-chan, that woman looks like she needs help, yes?" Kagura nudged the child next to her, whom could only agree with her statement. The aforementioned woman's expression had grown from simple worry to outright fear as she scanned the streets, undoubtedly searching for something – probably something precious – she had lost. 'Needing help' seemed not enough to describe the predicament she was no doubt in.

"Let us help, yes?" Kagura suggested, pulling her young companion towards the dawdling woman. "It is the motto of the Yorozuya to help those in need, uh huh."

The two trotted up the dark-haired woman as she roamed about, examining clusters of wandering passerby in search of whatever it was she was looking for. Kagura tapped her on the shoulder and she whipped around, startled by the sudden appearance of two odd looking individuals.

"Excuse me, miss," Kagura said, jumping right into business. "You look troubled, yes? Is there something we can do to help?"

"Do I know you two?" the woman replied, obviously perplexed that two complete strangers had presented themselves to her offering their services.

"We are the Yorozuya, yes? And our job is to help people, uh huh," Kagura informed her proudly. She elbowed Gintoki in the ribs, who was currently ogling at a candy store opposite them that pompously displayed various colorful candies atop shelves. He seemed to snap out of a trance-like state as soon as Kagura nudged him, revealing that up to this point, he hadn't been following the flow of conversation at all. "Uh, right; yeah," Gintoki bobbed his head up and down a little absentmindedly. "What she said."

"Oh; well, in that case, I could certainly use the help," the woman smiled at them a little warily. "My name is Shimura Tae, and I seem to have lost sight of my brother in the crowd. Could you by any chance help me find him?"

**Finally, this bad fanfic finally seems to have some sort of plot. I apologize if it has become a bit OOC; this is only my second Gintama Fanfic. **

**Hope you enjoy reading, and thanks for following! **


	5. Chapter 5

Despite the Yorozuya's attempts at aiding the young Shimura Tae – whom they now addressed as Otae – scan the ever-shifting crowds traipsing through the streets of the Kabukicho district for her missing younger brother, it proved a fruitless endeavor, for they had been unable to identify him in the midst of the endless torrents of tourists and people. Disheartened, Otae had briefly considered calling off the search for the day and return home brother-less, but Kagura, with her undying optimism and determination, had insisted she follow them back to the Yorozuya office to further plan out their next move.

Now, the young dark-haired woman had been seated by one of the many couches furnishing the sparsely decorated residence of the yorozuya. Kagura had taken a seat opposite her, and Gintoki flanked her on the left side as they went through the various scenarios that might've caused Otae's significantly younger kid brother to have mysteriously gone missing amongst the crowds. The woman had relayed all sorts of information concerning the matter in hopes it might shed light on the predicament, and had explained that she had lost sight of her brother merely minutes before Kagura and Gintoki had spotted her dithering about the streets and offered their aid. If her younger brother – whom she clarified was named Shinpachi – had merely gotten lost among the throngs of passing people, there would've been no reason for them not to spot him in the crowds during their search – unless, of course, he had been silly enough to wander off.

"I wouldn't think Shin-chan would be the sort to venture off on his own like that," Otae replied to the suggestion they had posed, waving off the idea that her brother would've been as careless as to simply saunter aimlessly away from the streets. "He's a smart boy; I've told him a million times that if he got lost, he should stay where he is."

"Hmmm…" Kagura rubbed her chin in thought. "Otae, do you have a picture of your brother we could see? It could help us find him easier if we knew how he looked like, yes?"

"Of course," from the pockets of her flowery-embroidered kimono, the woman produced a picture of the boy they were requested help find and set it upon the wooden table. Gintoki and Kagura leaned forward to glance upon the photograph provided, and a small boy, no older than Gintoki himself, peered out at them from the picture behind rounded spectacles. It was a photo of both Otae and her kid brother, and she had an arm around him as they posed for the photo. The boy wasn't particularly striking, appearance-wise – he had short dark hair and was bespectacled with a pair of perfectly circular lenses that seemed to be the most interesting thing about him, which wasn't saying much, considering that the glasses themselves looked as though a mangaka had simply scrawled it on with one stroke of a pen.

"What's this?" Gintoki murmured in an unimpressed tone. "Usually in manga, characters are supposed to look interesting, aren't they? This kid just looks like a random megane – and now that I look at the photo, miss, doesn't your chest look unusually fla-"

BONK!

"Oooon second thought, forget what I said!" Gintoki replied shakily, massaging a ridiculously huge bruise Otae had delivered to his cheek. It seemed despite his tender age, the silver-haired child hadn't been spared any expense from the dark haired woman's wrath – the punch she had inflicted upon him was enough to leave a crimson fist-mark upon his cheek, and a menacing aura could be felt emanating off her in waves as she cracked her knuckles in a sinister fashion. A cheerful smile had stretched upon her face, but it fooled no one into thinking that her strength was anything but unpleasant.

"Will you help me search for my brother or not?" Otae inquired, her eyes narrowed to slits. Her smile was unwavering, and even the almighty Yato Kagura would've paled in comparison to this demon of a woman currently seated upon their couch, and she surely knew it. The vermillion haired woman immediately rushed to make amends before a punch was directed at her.

"F-forget what Gin-chan said, Anego!" Kagura spluttered out, addressing the woman with a far more respectable nickname. The Amanto decided it was best to put the conversation about the dark-haired lady's flat chest behind them and gingerly picked up the photo she had laid upon the table. She squinted her cerulean eyes at the young boy that stood next to the smiling woman in the picture, as if examining her younger brother meticulously would made the search easier.

"So you say you lost sight of your brother where we found you, yes?" Kagura inquired, and Otae bobbed her head in response. She opened her mouth to further confirm what the vermillion-haired Yato woman said was true, but then paused abruptly, contemplating.

"On second thought-" Otae ran her slender fingers through her deep chestnut hair, recalling the events that had unfolded before meeting the Yorozuya. "-now that I think about it, I didn't exactly lose Shin-chan there – ah! Now I remember; I had made some eggs for him that day and offered him some, and though he tried to refuse, I insisted he have some – he's a growing boy, after all; he needs his protein – and after eating my eggs, he insisted he needed to go to the bathroom since his digestive system apparently had a very hard time accepting my cooking," the woman further explained. "How odd; it seems that most people have similar reactions whenever I insist on cooking for them. Don't you find that strange?"

"No, ma'am," Gintoki deadpanned, picking his nose, "I think it just means you're cooking is really bad-"

BOONK!

"Oooon second thought, it is very strange!" the child hurriedly corrected himself, cringing at his now swollen other cheek, which had been subjected to Otae's ludicrous wrath. He inched away from the dangerous woman, whose ominous aura had quadrupled in animosity after Gintoki's blatant comment about her food. One could prominently see the atmosphere darken around her in churning swirls, as if the very air too were cautioning bystanders to keep well away from her if they feared for their lives.

"Um, getting back to the subject, Anego," Kagura interrupted, hoping that the change of topic would quell Otae's dangerously rising anger, "I suppose we should try checking the public bathroom to see if he is there, yes? Perhaps he is just experiencing a very long dump, uh huh."

Otae perked up at this, and the nearly palpable aura about her diminished to some extent. Kagura and Gintoki could almost hear the entire world breathe a mutual sigh of relief as the darkness around her fell away, and the dark haired woman seated by their office nodded her head in response to the suggestion. "Yes- I suppose that would be wise." With that, Otae got up to her feet and smiled at the two Yorozuya. "Shin-chan is probably still there; I just got concerned for no reason. If you two don't mind, would you please accompany me to see if he is really there?"

"Whaaat?" Gintoki stuttered. "Following a gorilla woman like you? That's playing with fire right there-"

BONK!

"What Gin-chan meant to say was, of course we will, Anego!" Kagura bobbed her head a little too enthusiastically, as the now bruised body of Gintoki lay sprawled out upon the couches in a rather lifeless manner. The Yato woman, fearing that another reckless comment on his part would result in an enraged Otae, had delivered a well-aimed punch to his head, completely knocking him out. Kagura hadn't intended on socking the boy until he passed out, but at least it kept his mouth shut, which she supposed was good, with someone as dangerous as Otae around.

"Wonderful," Otae's smile was unwavering, despite the fear she clearly incited in the Yorozuya, "let's get going, then."

oooOOOooo

"Shin-chaaaaan!" Otae called out, her voice reverberating down the dank, cramped bathroom stalls of a nearby public restroom. Several bystanders had turned to gaze at her with odd expressions, considering that she was yelling at the top of her lungs into the male section of the community toilets. Several irate male voices drifted out in response to her cry, urging her to shush, but of course none of such tones belonged to her lost younger brother whom they were assuming was there. "Shin-chan, are you in there?"

Silence responded to her call, and a frown marred the dark-haired woman's face. She turned to Kagura, whom had slung the still very much unconscious body of her younger companion on her back, with a rather distraught expression. It became obvious that the woman had been very hopeful that her brother was merely taking an extended dump due to her dark-matter eggs, but as every call of hers went unanswered, the theory became more and more unlikely. "What shall I do, Kagura-chan?" Otae murmured worriedly, scanning the scruffy bathroom stalls in hopes she would see her brother emerge from one of them. "Shin-chan doesn't seem to be here…where could he be?"

Kagura pondered this for a moment before gesturing with a sweep of an arm for the woman to stand back. "I've got an idea to see whether your brother is really here or not, Anego," the vermillion-haired amanto replied, and trotted just before the entrance of the male public-restroom. With a flick of an arm, the woman positioned the tip of her umbrella towards the occupied bathroom stores lining a graffiti-smeared wall, and pressed her finger upon a curious-looking trigger that had been set into the side of the handle.

With a deafening _whom _a projectile of pure light was ejected out the metal ferrule of the parasol, reducing the shut stalls to cinders with its sonic blast. Masculine screams of shock pierced the once muted atmosphere, and huge clusters of people darted out from the smoldering wreck that once stood as Kabukicho's male public restroom. The doors of the stalls had been blown to smithereens by the explosion, and several distinctly male figures gaped at the woman that had laid waste to their privacy with one swift press of a button. The roaring detonation had even awoken Gintoki, who obviously had no idea what to make of the carnage he had awoken to.

"Whoa, what the hell?" he simply stated, looking around the now ruined bathroom. "I thought we were searching for the woman's brother – why are we attacking the public restroom?"

"It doesn't look like Shinpachi is here, yes?" Kagura declared, completely oblivious to the venomous looks she was receiving from the men that once occupied the now wrecked stalls. Sure enough, none of them were the bespectacled young boy they had seen in Otae's photograph, and the three hurriedly made a hasty escape from the smoking wreckage of the community restroom.

"Oh my, where could Shin-chan be?" Otae's expression had turned worrisome, and she once again attempted at locating her brother within the shifting crowds of people traversing through the district. It was a useless effort, considering they had already undertaken the endeavor of searching through crowds earlier, but it didn't stop the concerned woman from trying regardless.

The day dragged on fruitlessly, with the three of them aimlessly wandering through the streets of Edo in search for the young bespectacled boy displayed upon Otae's offered photograph. Leads on locating his current location were practically non-existent, and any further attempt and plan on their part had all ended in unsuccessful results that weren't even worth mentioning. Noon faded into a bleak afternoon, which in turn settled into an austere evening – Otae was very much disheartened at all their ineffective methods of search, and as the sky darkened with an approaching dusk, the woman forlornly mentioned that they'd best call it off for the day and resume their investigation the day after.

"We are sorry we couldn't help you further, Anego," Kagura offered genuinely, but Otae could only nod slightly in her direction before trudging her way home. The pale-skinned woman and her white-haired companion watched her silhouette recede into the night, and glumly meandered their way back home as well. It seemed as though Otae's sadness was contagious, as the atmosphere between them had grown increasingly somber throughout the way home. Kagura bounced ideas of search off Gintoki, who did offer some form of input when he could, but mostly stayed quiet for the remainder of the journey.

"Well, that went well," Gintoki muttered sarcastically as they stumbled through the doorway of the Yorozuya office. He kicked off his shoes and flopped upon the couch cushions, allowing the softness of such pillows soothe the stress of the day from his shoulders. "I'm beginning to think this job is even more tiresome than the cat."

"But we cannot give up, yes?" Kagura said determinedly, hoping to strengthen their resolve for the next day. She positioned her parasol by the door and stared down at her pale hands – the hands of a Yato. She could feel Otae's pain as though it were her own – she knew what it was like to lose a brother. Sure, she and her sibling hadn't been particularly close, but when the day he left – leaving young Kagura behind to solely care for their terminally ill mother – was likely a day she'd never forget. She wondered where her constantly battle-hungry older brother was now.

"Do you have siblings, Gin-chan?" Kagura suddenly blurted out, not even aware when her lips began moving to form the words unintentionally slipped from her mouth. Cerulean eyes turned to gaze at the child, whose carnelian eyes stared emptily skyward. She wondered what those dead-fish eyes of his saw in his short lifetime – what story lay huddled behind those Bordeaux-shaded irises.

"Not that I know of," Gintoki replied, shifting to a sitting position upon the couch. Upon the youthful face was a mask that revealed nothing, but the carnelian eyes adorning the face suddenly crept downwards to gaze upon the floor. The information he disclosed next was something Kagura never expected: "Well, biologically, anyway – but there were these couple of idiots that I suppose once regarded as brothers."

Kagura's curiosity spiked. "Really?"

Gintoki shrugged a shoulder, but a subtle glint of pain was visible beneath the listless irises. "Yeah; we studied under the same sensei." He suddenly began to yawn, as if the current topic of conversation was old news to him – which she suppose it probably was. The child slid off the couch and stumbled towards the bedroom, groggy after an entire day of searching for irritating cats and lost brothers of gorilla women. "Anyway, I'm gonna sleep; it's been a loooong day and I'm not looking forward for tomorrow."

Kagura frowned but said nothing. Truthfully, she was becoming more curious about the past of this unknown young thief she had met simply days prior. For some reason, she felt a somewhat maternal attachment to the kid – a motherly nature to protect the child, which was odd considering they had only met a few days ago, and her first impression of him wasn't exactly pleasant. Shaking her head, she grabbed hold of her parasol to set it in a more appropriate place, and was surprised to see huge chunks of shattered porcelain and plastic clinging to the fabric of the top.

"Ugh," Kagura winced as she began prying the shards from her pockmarked umbrella. "Blowing up the bathroom wasn't a good idea, yes? All the broken pieces of the restroom have clung to my umbrella after the explosion, uh huh." She yanked another splinter from her parasol, disheartened at the sheer number still dotting the purple cloth. "This is going to take awhile, yes? Gin-chan, you go to sleep fir-"

Before she could complete her sentence, a glistening piece of _something _dislodged from its brethren from the umbrella, tumbling to the floor below. As it came in contact with the ground, the unknown object shattered further, sprinkling the floor of the Yorozuya office with glimmering shards of glass and plastic. Kagura winced, then set her umbrella aside to deal with the new mess. "Great, now I have to clean this up too, ye-"

Her sentence ceased mid-sentence, and her eyes widened as her brain finally caught up with what she was looking at. Her sudden silence called an inquisitive Gintoki from the room, and he too grew silent as soon as his eyes fell upon the item that Kagura's umbrella had unwillingly gleaned from the restroom she had laid siege upon earlier today.

A dented length of black plastic, crafted into a slender shape, had been adhered to a rounded piece of glass in which a myriad of spidery fissures snaked across. The other half of the item had snapped off its identical brother, too riddled with cracks and dents that it had most probably gained from Kagura's earlier attack upon the bathroom. At first, the item was so badly damaged the two yorozuya couldn't identify what they were looking at – but then something in their brains finally clicked, for they remembered seeing an intact version of the very object in the picture Otae had shown them earlier that day.

"Um…Kagura?"

"Yes, Gin-chan?"

"Are those…glasses?"

"Yes," Kagura replied. "I think so."


	6. Chapter 6

Shimura Tae knew she was running clean out of options and methods of searching for her still missing younger brother, but it didn't stop the rather doting older sister from resuming her harried quest at tracking him down the very next day. She was grateful that the two odd individuals – Yorozuya, they seemed to be called – had offered their assistance the day before, for she wouldn't have really known where she'd have ended up in had it not been for their aid; though, she herself had to admit, they were pretty strange people.

Meandering through the crowds of people flanking her on both sides of the populated streets, the dark-haired woman's deep auburn eyes once again subconsciously began to dart across the endless faces of wandering tourists, hoping to find her brother amongst them so she could finally call off this fruitless excursion. Yesterday, the curious young woman with the fiery red hair – whom she recalled was named Kagura – had informed her to meet them the next day at their appointed rendezvous, the Yorozuya office, so they could once again assist her in the matter of scouring the district of Kabukicho for her kid sibling. Though she was reluctant they would be any closer to finding Shin-chan today as they were yesterday, she decided that once again recruiting the aid of the Odd Jobs team would most probably be the current best course of action.

"Hmmmn…where was their office again…?" the dark haired woman murmured to herself, glancing about at her surroundings in hopes of locating the curious workplace of the two Odd Jobbers that had approached her the day prior. Colorful storefronts greeted her at every angle with attractive neon lighting and flickering ornaments strung across foyers, beckoning the wandering townsfolk to enter for a quick look-see. However, none of the vivid shops assisted her in the current endeavor of tracing the workstation of the Yorozuya, and Otae soon found herself lost amidst the wandering crowds of people idly going about their daily routines. Exhaling a deep sigh, the dark haired woman decided to conclude her search for the curious pair and began retracing her steps back home, all the while pondering through various search techniques she hadn't yet tried.

"ANEGOOOOO!"

A high-pitched cry, laced with deep undertones of worry and fear, cut through the streets of Edo like a harried projectile. The grating call was quick to incite within the meandering populace a sense of imminent horror, and before the crowds of townsfolk could even begin to brace themselves for whatever terror was yet to spring, a human cannonball barreled through crowds of conversing men and women with the ferocity of an ejected bullet. Throngs of unlucky bystanders were unbecomingly jostled aside by the aggravated individual slicing a path down the teeming avenue, sent sprawling by the sheer animosity of whoever was streaking past. Otae's deep auburn eyes widened at the sight of a familiar face manhandling through the crowd in a ruthless attempt at nearing her location, and before she could question what the young lady thought she was doing, elbowing her way through busy crowds without regard for whoever she might've been shoving aside, Kagura collided into her, sending both women to the ground in an unbecoming tangle of bruised limbs.

"ANEGOOOO!" despite the now close proximity, the vermillion-haired woman had gotten so hyped up she hadn't bothered lowering the thunderous din of her voice. The sheer stridence of her volumes drilled into the dark-haired woman's ears like nails across a chalkboard, and a grimace marred her face as she desperately attempted at soothing the young female Amanto's significantly jangled nerves.

"Kagura-chan? What's wrong?" the woman inquired as the two stumbled to their feet, not paying heed to the many odd looks being thrown their way by the jostled population of Kabukicho. Crowds of people whom had been ungraciously shoved from their merry pace threw varieties of reproachful glances at the hysterical vermillion-haired individual, whose shoulders had been hunched up in a position of outright apprehension. The cerulean eyes adorning the appalled face had grown very wide, and Otae soon found herself fearing the worst. What could have possibly ensued earlier today, rendering even the strong-willed Kagura into a quivering mess of jumbled nerves?

"Anego, it is _terrible!" _Kagura's breathing had gone ragged, and the naturally snow-white skin had gotten even paler from her current disposition. She seized the wrist of her dumbfounded dark-haired acquaintance, willing her to pay heed to whatever information she was about to disclose. "You must come with me, yes!? You must see this!"

"Kagura-chan, calm down!" Otae pleaded, "what's going on? What happened?"

The hunched shoulders of the fidgety vermillion-haired Yato slumped a tad, but the terrified prominence that lurked behind her comically enlarged cerulean irises had yet to subside. The somber quality of the ocean-blue eyes silenced any other words that the dark-haired woman had meant to utter, and a foreboding dread of whatever information was yet to come iced the blood in her veins. "Anego," Kagura finally announced, unveiling the reason behind her jumpy temperament, "Gin-chan and I….we think we found your brother."

Blue eyes guiltily crept up to meet hers. "I think he is dead."

oooOOOooo

The usually lively atmosphere of the Yorozuya had dampened into an increasingly melancholic mood. The inhabitants of said place had positioned themselves upon the couch cushions, addressing the diminutive body nestled upon the opposite sofa with expressions that wrote misery into the morning air. Silence permeated the quiet office, for none of the solemn individuals seated about the cushions could offer words that could even remotely lighten the severely downed serenity spawned upon by the crumpled, battered mess that once stood as Otae's younger brother.

"This is just terrible," Gintoki exhaled a mighty sigh, unwilling to fixate his eyes upon the gruesome sight for any longer than need be. Bordeaux-colored irises had shrunk to the floor, gazing upon the wooden floorboards underfoot with muted and detached interest. Small sniffles could be heard punctuating the grave atmosphere as Kagura let loose the raging torrent of indescribable misery that had plagued her ever since they discovered his body, unwilling even to glance over at the devastated expression undoubtedly masking Otae's heartbroken face.

Gintoki laid a tentative hand on his despondent boss's quaking shoulder in a petty act of comfort, attempting the feat of resurrecting the vermillion-haired woman's deadened joy. "Kagura, it's alright. We tried our best – we'll give Shinpachi one of the best funerals ever so that we will always remember-"

WHA-BLAM!

With a sickening crunch of fists against flesh, Gintoki was once again rocketed sky-high into the air, colliding with the wooden-beamed ceiling overhead. A child-shaped fissure was embedded into the overhanging roof as the silver-haired child pummeled through its timber surface, showering plaster and miniscule splinters upon the two woman seated below. Kagura's cerulean eyes had widened to a fearful extent as undulating swirls of menacing darkness once again flanked the enraged Otae, and upon her face a mask of a feigned smile was donned that foretold a less desirable future for those who dared oppose her.

"**Can you please stop joking around?" **a sinister edge had intermingled with her once melodious tone, and she cracked her knuckles in a threatening gesticulation that more physical harm would be endowed upon those who paid no heed to her words. The darkened aura interminably swirling about her menacing figure cautioned nearby bystanders to be wary, for any misspoken word or action could result in a myriad of critical injuries that could cost a life. Kagura reluctantly inched away from the fearsome woman enveloped in such an ominous aura, and gazed fearfully at the severely bruised Gintoki still entrenched deeply within the splintering ceiling.

"That is not Shin-chan," Otae surmised, gazing upon the two Yorozuya with a queer smile that could only be categorized as pure evil. "Those are his _glasses." _

All eyes turned to stare upon the horribly disfigured object that dominated the opposite couch – the broken and lifeless item that the Odd Jobs pair had erroneously mistaken as Otae's younger brother. Kagura gazed upon the shattered thing nestled upon the sofa cushions, sprinkling minute, glistening shards of fractured glass upon the seat. After a keen inspection was undertaken, Kagura – later joined by a significantly wounded Gintoki – finally concluded that they were indeed incorrect in their observations, and the thing that they were so sure was the lifeless corpse of Shimura Shinpachi was, in fact, simply his majorly damaged spectacles.

"Whoa," Gintoki gingerly poked at the shattered lens, causing the fragile glass to shatter further upon contact. His Bordeaux irises displayed an obvious incredulity, and Kagura too bore a similar expression as they jabbed and prodded at the pitiful glasses they had derived from the vermillion-haired Yato's pockmarked parasol. "These are really just his glasses? They look just like him."

"But this is good, yes?" a grin creased the pale-skinned woman's face, a stark contrast to her earlier expression of outright bereavement. She gestured at the ruined eyewear currently peppering their couch with a light dusting of shattered glass, as if through overeager gestures Gintoki and Otae would understand what she found remotely _good_ about the current situation. "If his glasses were at the restrooms, that means he did go there, yes?"

"I suppose," Otae bobbed her head, though the concerned expression marring her face didn't necessarily go away. The newfound intelligence that her younger brother did in fact step foot upon the public restrooms of Kabukicho didn't exactly expel the multitude of unanswered questions brimming the dark-haired woman's overloaded mind – in fact, one could admittedly say that it only increased the already ludicrous amount of mysteries surrounding the current case. If he indeed had reached his destination, why didn't he return? Where was he now? And why were his glasses, of all things, left behind?

"Looks like we have a mystery to solve, yes?" Kagura's cerulean irises glistened with a determination that could not be deterred, and she immediately went to retrieve her umbrella from where it was leaning upon a whitewashed wall. Slinging the slightly tattered parasol over a shoulder – courtesy of the many porcelain and glass shards she had painstakingly pried off the frayed fabric – she turned to the other two still seated upon the couches with a strengthened resolve. "Let's go find out what happened!"

oooOOOooo

Despite the knowledge that they had practically exhausted every possible lead on finding the lost Shinpachi, Kagura's abrupt level of heightened enthusiasm refused to be dissuaded by such qualms. She marched down the streets of Edo with enhanced vigor, while Otae and Gintoki, whose resolves on the contrary were growing slimmer with every embarked search method, trailed meekly behind. Owing to her undying enthusiasm, Kagura was quick to decide upon a new course of action and immediately rushed to carry it out, informing her white-permed apprentice and dark-haired client of what she hoped would finally conclude this ridiculous escapade.

Kagura's plan wasn't exactly fantastic, as it merely consisted of simply asking people whether they had glimpsed upon the bespectacled boy throughout the span of days. Still, Kagura refused to be discouraged from her current fervor of locating the dark-haired child, even as both Gintoki and Otae remained a tad dubious about the triumph of such a sketchy plan. Though the pair was cynical that such a simple search technique would emerge victorious, they finally conceded and branched off into two separate teams to speed up the process. Wishing each other luck, Kagura and Gintoki – which had been assigned as one team – wandered off, leaving Otae to question the townsfolk strolling throughout the streets where they had first found her dithering helplessly.

oooOOOooo

While Otae was assigned to question the wandering passerby ambling leisurely down the avenues of the Kabukicho district, Kagura and Gintoki decided to patrol about the multitude of shops and houses fringing the busy street. Inquiries of the boy's whereabouts hadn't exactly spurred many responses in the general populace, for many of the street vendors and shop owners they questioned simply informed them that they hadn't seen such a boy and irritably waved them off when they proceeded in interrogating them for further information. So far, their excursion wasn't exactly progressing the way they had hoped it be, but the two Yorozuya had to admit they weren't particularly surprised that such a straightforward plan had ended up in backfire.

"Excuse me, sir?" Kagura tapped politely upon the shoulder of a meandering passerby, snagging the rather rotund man's attention. She then proceeded to produce a picture of the bespectacled boy from her red cheongsam, which had been given to her by Otae before they parted paths. "This boy is missing, yes? Have you seen him anywhere?"

The chubby individual squinted his dark eyes at the photograph, and before long a sense of familiarity spread across the flabby features. A pang of hope resurfaced like a relit candle, and as the Yorozuya impatiently waited for the man's response, he then proceeded to dig into his grubby pockets to fetch out what looked to be soiled, rounded spectacles that did bear remarkable resemblance to Shinpachi's.

"Is this 'im?" the man murmured gruffly.

And just like that, the resurgence of newfound hope dissipated into the morning air like a deflated balloon. They supposed things could've been much worse, as they had already grilled innumerable individuals for the whereabouts of the lost child and this was only the _third _time the two had been presented with a pair of unbecoming glasses by the general populace they had questioned.

Honestly, it wasn't looking very good.

**Sorry if this ended up kinda short, bad and overall uneventful; I am currently experiencing a severe case of writer's block. **


End file.
